Rinascita
by Bl00dyShad0w
Summary: After Vashyron, Zephyr, and Leanne leave Basel, more follow them. Over the years they created a village. Zephyr now has very deep feelings for Leanne, but she only feels like she loves him as a brother. Find out what happens between the two on the third Rinascita festival.


**Hello everyone! Bl00dyshad0w here! I've noticed that there aren't a lot of Resonance of Fate fanfics, so I decided to make one! Most of all because I adore the Zephyr and Leanne pairing! **

**So I based Leanne off of what she looked like in my game, so I hope you're all okay with that.**

* * *

After our three heroes left Basel, many more followed, but many stayed due to fear. They decided it was time to move on and see the world that was once out of their grasp, and they preferred it since there were no levels to determine who was poor and who was not. They all helped build a village far from the building that they once called home. With the help of many construction workers, the large village was finally completed in four years.

The Cardinals did not protest. They traded stuff from basil for the organic materials. Cardinal Garigliano would leave time to time to paint the scenery which he found, "absolutely breathtaking."

Rowen finally moved on and married Victorique. He has been noticeably happier. The portrait of the Prelate was removed and placed under lock and key. Not that he didn't love her, but it helped him to stop lingering in the past.

Jean-Paulet became more mature and calm. He's been taking his role of a Cardinal seriously. He surprised everyone by restoring Pateropolis. Many people from the lower levels moved there that very day it opened. Pater would have been pleased.

Barbarella, because of her very bad eating habits, grew fat. Many of her fans turned away from her. In order to get them back, she's been working out vigorously and not eating as much ever since.

Antourion decided to distribute his books to the people of Basel, and to one boy in particular.

Nothing new happened to Cardinal Theresa, though she does visit the lower levels more often than usual.

Sullivan was never seen nor heard from again.

As for the two empty Cardinal spots, they have been filled by a man named Thomas and a beautiful young woman named Clarisse.

Back at the village, now known as Rinascita, our heroes wake up to begin their morning. They each have their own separate homes. Vashyron, now thirty years old, is married to a woman named Rachael. They have a two year old son, Aidon.

Leanne, twenty-five years old and still single, lives happily in her cozy home. Her former teammates would visit often.

She finished getting ready for the day. She had to hurry because today was the annual festival, celebrating the day that people were free to leave basel. Leanne was going to help set up and cook.

She opened the door to find Zephyr in mid-knock. His blonde hair was a mess, as usual, but it looked good on him none-the-less.

Zephyr, now twenty-one, has developed very deep feelings for Leanne. She was a huge importance in his life. She gave him hope, and taught him how to love again.

Leanne, on the other hand, did not know how she felt for him. She loved him like a brother, but she couldn't help but blush whenever she saw him, or when she'd get butterflies in her stomach whenever she saw him laugh.

"Oh, hey Leanne!" exclaimed Zephyr with a slight blush warming his cheeks. He looked her up and down. She was wearing a tight short-sleeved white shirt with her short black skirt and black flats. Her long black hair was tied into a high pony-tail, and her violet eyes were shining brightly, as usual.

Over the years, Leanne has developed a larger bust. Not as large as Barberella's, though, but larger than they once were.

"Zephyr!" she replied with a bright smile. "What are you doing up so early?"

"I came to say hi before you took off to help with the festival. Since we're going to be doing different jobs, we might not see each other until tonight."

"Oh, well, I'm sure I'll see you. Anyways, hi."

They stood there awkwardly for a few moments until Zephyr announced that he had to leave. He turned around and jogged off, leaving Leanne standing there with her heart racing. She set her right hand over it and took slow breaths in an attempt to calm it down.

"What's wrong with me?" she questioned herself. She shook her head and headed off.

The village was buzzing with life. Hunters carried their kill over their shoulders, mother's escorted their children to school, and people carried large pieces of wood left and right.

"Good-morning, Leanne!"

"How's it going, Leanne?"

"Did you have a good sleep, Leanne?"

Everyone knew her and the two heroes. She kindly responded to them and headed to the square. A stage was being set up for the talent competition, which was always fun. Sometimes, you'd get the occasional confession.

_I wonder if anyone would confess to me_, thought Leanne as she approached the men working on the stage. _I haven't any suitors, so I question if any boy finds me attractive at all…maybe Zephyr…, _she shook her head. _Zephyr has many girls all over him who are much more attractive. There is no way that…,_ she stopped her thoughts when she approached a man hammering nails into the wood.

"Good-morning, Leanne," he said as he stopped working to greet her. "You're here to help?"

"Good-morning to you, too. And yes, yes I am."

The man looked over at the other workers and said, "You can help them over there, I got this area covered."

"Thank you."

As she walked around the long wooden platform, she bumped into none other than Vashyron.

"Hey, you! How's it going? I haven't seen you in a while!"

Leanne giggled a little and said, "We last saw each other yesterday. How's Rachael and Aidon?"

"They are doing well. Rachael is still at home taking care of him. I'm heading back to basel with Zephyr to get some supplies that the stupid travelers forgot to bring yesterday."

"Really? Well, good luck then."

"See you later, Leanne!"

* * *

"Pick up the pace, Zephyr!" said Vashyron. They were halfway to Basel at this point. "Wait, are you spacing out on me?" He slapped the young blonde behind the head.

"Hey!" he yelled as his brows furrowed.

"What were you thinking about?"

"None of your damn concern."

Vashyron smirked. He knew what, or in this case, _who_ he was thinking about.

"You should buy her an expensive necklace or something," started the older male. "Girls like those things."

"Wh-what made you get that silly idea?"

"I'm talking about Leanne. I've known you liked her ever since we were still living at Sweet Home."

Zephyr looked down in shame. "It would be no use. She only likes me as a brother, anyways."

Vashyron started walking ahead saying, "You never know."

When they reached the lower level of Basel, the guards opened up the gates for them. "Hey, guys! Long time no see!" said one of the guards. Vashyron nodded his head towards him.

They took the elevators all the way up to Ebel City. They stopped in front of their old home, acknowledged it, and then headed towards the shop where they were going to get the supplies at.

"Welcome back!" said the cheery teenage girl behind the counter. "How's life on the other side? I wish I could go there soon… Grandpa says I can go next year for the next festival!"

"It's beautiful!" exclaimed Vashyron with pride. "We finished construction on it not so long ago."

"Really? That's awesome!"

"Milia!" called an old man. "What are you doing?" Daniel came through a door and stopped for a moment when he saw the two familiar faces. "Oh! Vashyron and Zephyr! I haven't seen you two in months! Where's Leanne?"

"She's busy helping set up the festival," replied Zephyr.

"Is that so? Well, are you two here to pick up the supplies?"

"Yes," said Vashyron.

"Follow me to the back, then."

They left to the back, but before Zephyr could follow, Milia reached over the counter and grabbed his arm then said, "Wait."

"What?"

She let go of his arm and a large grin appeared on her face. In a whisper she asked, "Are you and Leanne together yet?"

Zephyr's face heated up. "Wh-wh-what?! No!"

"No? But I thought you two loved each other!"

The man looked down and sighed. "It's one-sided." He looked back at her and asked, "You don't happen to sell expensive necklaces, do you?"

The girl giggled and said, "As a matter of fact, we do!"

She opened a cabinet with a key and motioned him to come over. When he looked inside, there was an alignment of different types of jewelry.

"Well? See anything you like?"

"I don't think Leanne would want anything flashy…What do you suggest?"

"Hmm…" She carefully picked up a gold necklace that had a solid heart pendant. On the edge of the left of the pendant were four studded diamonds. "Simple, yet very beautiful."

Zephyr imagined Leanne wearing it. He blushed a bit at the thought, which caused Milia to laugh.

"You are _madly_ in love with the girl."

He scratched the back of his head and said, "Yeah…I guess so."

After he paid for the item, Milia asked, "Would you like me to put it in a box?"

"Zephyr!" came Vashyron's voice.

"I'll just keep it in my pocket," replied Zephyr as he took it from her and put it in the pocket of his jacket.

"Good luck," said Milia as he made his way to the back.

Vashyron put the materials in the two backpacks that he brought. There were balloons, decorations, and various types of seasoning that were left behind.

"What the hell were you doing?" questioned Vashyron as he set his hands on his hips.

"Shopping…" replied Zephyr silently and he felt the necklace in his pocket.

The older man laughed. "I see, I see. Well, carry this bag," he said as he kicked the large bag next to his feet. He was already carrying his.

Zephyr did as he was told, all while thinking of a certain raven haired girl back home.

* * *

"Well, that just about does it. Now all that's left is the decorations, which I'm sure are being brought here as we speak," said Billy, one of the workers that were working on the stage with Leanne.

"Leanne!" called Barberella's former chef, Lex.

"Yes?"

"You're done here, right?"

"Is it time to begin cooking?"

"Yes. We need to get started immediately, since we have plenty of mouths to feed. Come, hurry!"

He started running off with Leanne on his tail. "Good-bye!" she said as she waved to the workers. They returned the wave.

She was brought to a large kitchen where there were plenty of chefs and villagers working away. "So," she started to Lex, "What did you want me to help with?"

"The pork for now," he replied as he pointed over to a station. "But if Zephyr and Vashyron don't return soon with the seasoning, this will all be a disaster!"

"Did someone call us?" said a voice behind them. They turned around to find Zephyr and Vashyron standing by the doorway.

"Oh, thank heavens!" cried Lex.

Vashyron set his bag down and pulled out a crate full of seasoning.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" exclaimed the chef as he took the crate and set it on a table. People came over to get the seasoning they needed and then ran back to their food.

"No problem," replied Vashyron as he zipped his bag up and placed it back on his back.

Zephyr and Leanne locked eyes. Embarrassed, he looked away.

"I told you we'd see each other!" said Leanne with a smile.

Lex handed a white apron to her and she put it on in front of them all. Zephyr couldn't help but blush.

_Damn it, _he though. _I can't even look at her without blushing!_

"Come on, lover boy," said Vashyron so only Zephyr could hear. "We have to go." He looked back at Leanne and Lex. "See ya!"

When they left, Leanne walked to her station. When she felt her cheeks, they were hot.

_It must be because of the temperature in here,_ she thought.

* * *

After Vashyron and Zephyr dropped all the supplies off, they both went over to Vashyron's house to eat some lunch.

"Hello!" exclaimed Rachael with Aidon in her arms. "Welcome back!"

"Daddy!" said a child as he extended his short arms to Vashyron.

His father chuckled and took him from his mother's arms. "Hey there, squirt. Did you protect mommy for me?"

"Yup!"

"The spaghetti is already set up," said Rachael with a smile on her face. She looked over at Zephyr who was fixated on the father and son. "Hello, Zephyr."

"Hello."

"How's Leanne?"

His face turned red in an instant. _Why does everyone keep bringing Leanne up?_

"Lover boy here bought her a gift," said Vashyron with a smirk.

"Really? Can I see it?"

He took the necklace out of his pocket and held it up so that the pendant dropped and bounced back up slightly.

"It's beautiful…" started Rachael. "It's perfect for Leanne. She won't be able to resist going out with you when you give it to her. Were you planning on confessing tonight?"

Before he could protest, Vashyron put a hand around his shoulder and exclaimed, "Of course he is!"

Zephyr cursed under his breath and placed the necklace back into his pocket.

After lunch, Zephyr decided to go out and take a walk while Vashyron stayed with his family.

"Zephy!" cried a female voice. Said man turned his head to the right to see a young woman with her shoulder length brown hair swishing back and forth as she ran towards him.

"Hello, Linda," said Zephyr. He was not excited to see her. She was always clinging to him and saying random things. She tried to kiss him once in front of Leanne, so he pushed her away. Unfortunately, Leanne left thinking they did kiss. He still wasn't able to clear that misunderstanding. He's never been kissed before, and he's still a virgin.

Sure, he can lose both of those easily with the many girls falling for him, but it didn't feel right. It had to be Leanne, and no one else.

He was worried that he might not get that chance since Leanne had many boys falling for her as well. She just doesn't realize it. Zephyr would often notice men checking her out, flirting with her, and asking her out to dates. Leanne would think that they were just asking as friends and nothing more.

"Want to accompany me to the festival tonight?" asked Linda when she finally reached him.

"No thanks, Linda."

She pouted. "But why? You never want to go anywhere with me! Is it because of the way I look?"

Linda was a very beautiful girl, and everyone knew it. She was just…bratty.

"No, Linda. It's just that I was planning on going with someone else…"

She frowned. "It's that tramp Leanne, isn't it."

"She is not a tramp," growled Zephyr as he gave her a cold glare. It was good enough to make her leave him alone.

He made his way towards the stage where they were putting finishing touches on it.

"Hey, Zephyr!" called Iggy, "Would you mind giving us a hand? The curtain on the upper left corner came off, and we already put the ladder away."

"Sure."

He used hero run and then jumped high. He landed perfectly on top of the stage. Zephyr took hold of the stray fabric and placed it back in its original position. He made sure it was secure before jumping back down.

"Well done!" exclaimed Iggy as he gave him a pat on the back.

Zephyr left to walk some more. He had to hide to avoid the crowd of girls that always bugged him whenever they laid eyes on him.

He managed to find his way to the beach. He sat down on a large boulder in the water close to the shore and took out the necklace from his pocket.

"It's beautiful," said a male voice behind him. Surprised, he quickly turned around, almost falling off in the process.

"Juris?" he cried.

Said man made his way to the equally large boulder next to him and sat down.

"You're here for the festival?" asked Zephyr once his heart stopped beating rapidly.

"Yes, and I'm looking forward to it. All the Cardinals are coming as well."

"Really? That's new…"

"They heard how great it is and decided to see it themselves."

"Even Cardinal Rowen?"

"Even Cardinal Rowen."

They sat silent for a few moments until Juris asked, "Is that necklace for Leanne?"

"Yes…"

"She'll love it. It would look absolutely beautiful on her. How is she doing? I haven't seen her in a long time."

"She's doing great…"

"You two are together yet?"

Zephyr sighed. _I saw that coming,_ he thought.

"I take that as a no."

Zephyr's gaze lingered on the never ending salt water. The breeze was light and gentle, and the seagulls cried out here and there.

"I want to be…" he whispered.

"I'm sure she'll accept you, Zephyr."

"How would you know? She has guys all over her all the time, so she could easily pick one of them and forget about me."

"She could never forget about you. After all, you did save her life."

"That's true, but-"

"When has she last dated a guy?"

"She hasn't…"

"Well, off of what you told me, since she has guys all over her all the time, she could date anyone she wants easily. But she hasn't. Which means she's waiting for someone. And that someone is you."

"She only loves me as a brother."

"The last time I saw you two together, she blushed whenever you laughed or looked her directly in the eyes. She has mixed feelings about you, and she doesn't know what to do with it."

Zephyr looked over at the older man who was smiling at him. "How do you know all this?"

"I've known Leanne for a long time. You're the first boy that was around her age that she's truly met, so she doesn't know much about romance. Only in movies and books."

Zephyr looked back at the ocean as he rubbed the heart pendant with his thumb. "Then…I'm going to ask her, tonight."

"Are you going to confess on stage?"

"No! Oh, hell no. That's way too embarrassing for me."

Juris chuckled and stood up. "Well, I better get going. Are you going to stay here?"

"I'll leave shortly. You go ahead and I'll see you later."

"Alright then."

* * *

After spending hours in the gruesome, hot kitchen, Leanne wiped the sweat off her brow with her wrist and sighed in relief.

"Done…Finally done!" she cried.

Lex's mother, Rose, approached her and laughed. "You've done a lot, dear. You should go home now and get ready. The sun will be setting soon, so you better hurry before the festival starts."

"Thank you," said Leanne as she took her dirty apron off and threw it into the hamper.

She stopped for a moment when she stepped outside to take in the cool air. She smelt the smell of the salt water mix with the smell of the food from inside.

Realizing how much sweat was on her body and how smelly she was, she hurried home, avoiding people in the process.

She stepped into the warm shower and cleaned her body. As she was lathering her hair with fruit scented shampoo, she started thinking about Zephyr and Linda.

"I can't believe he would kiss a prissy bitch like her," she thought out loud. She would never say something like that in public.

Linda always gave her a snarl whenever she would see her. Sometimes she would push her down into the mud, "on accident," but luckily either Vashyron or Zephyr would be there to give Linda crap about it.

After her shower, Leanne dried her hair out and let it stay down. It cascaded all the way down to her waist.

She went over to her closet and pulled out a white spaghetti strap square neck dress that ended just above her knees. Then she put on her white open toed heels.

She put on some light eye shadow and then put some light pink lip gloss on.

Satisfied with the way she looked and smelled, she looked out the window to see if the festival already started.

The sky was painted with the hues of red and there were very few clouds in the sky. From afar, she could see that the festival just barely started.

"Welcome, one and all, to the third annual Rinascita festival!"

Cheers were heard.

"I better get down there," said Leanne as she headed out.

Zephyr looked through the crowd. No sign of Leanne.

"Hey, Vashyron!" he said when he spotted his friend with his family. "Have you seen Leanne?"

"No, we just barely got here."

"Dammit," he started, "I'm going to keep looking."

Vashyron grabbed his arm and said, "Woah, slow down, tiger. Relax and have fun! I'm sure Leanne will be here any moment!"

Zephyr sighed.

Music started playing and the people started to dance. Zephyr expertly weaved his way through the bodies and ended up at the long table full of food. He decided to grab a plate.

As he was placing a drum of chicken on his plate, he heard his name being called.

When he turned around, there was Leanne walking over towards him.

The breeze made her hair and dress blow to one side, and the almost set sun gave her face a beautiful glow.

"L-Leanne!" he said when she stopped in front of him. "You look great!" He mentally kicked himself with how pathetic he just sounded.

"Thank you! Are you enjoying the festival so far?"

"I guess…I mean, it just barely started so I can't really say anything about it now. But if it was like the previous ones, then I'm sure it will be great."

"Good."

They stayed silent for a few moments until Leanne said, "Well, I'll leave you to your food. I'm going to go and mingle for a little while."

"Alright."

He sat down on a long empty table and ate slowly.

_What am I doing?_ he thought. _I'm not even hungry!_

"Hello, Zephyr!" said Linda as she sat very closely to him. "You must be hungry, since you're the first one eating."

"Actually…I'm not all that hungry…"

"Then why?"

"I just needed something to do for a while."

"Then why didn't you say so? Come on! Dance with me!"

Zephyr sighed but gave in. It was something to do, anyways.

Linda led him back into the body of people and then started dancing beside him. He danced slowly as he tried to find Leanne in the crowd. Seeing him distracted, Linda took his hand and pulled him closer to her.

"Linda," he hissed.

"The Cardinals are here!" announced a man in the crowd.

Everyone stopped dancing to watch the Cardinals arrive. First came Garigliano, who was going off about how beautiful everything looked, with Antourion behind him. Next was Jean-Paulet with his stunningly beautiful wife. Then Barberella, whose fat melted away. Next Theresa, then Clarisse and Thomas, and lastly, Rowen and Vironique.

With everyone standing still, Zephyr was able to find Leanne next to Juris.

"Don't let us stop the party," said Rowen, loud enough so that everyone could hear. "Keep dancing!"

The music continued playing and the people started moving again.

After what seemed like forever for Zephyr, someone announced that it was time to start the talent show.

"I shall go first," said Cardinal Garigliano as he walked up the steps. He tapped the microphone a few times to make sure it was working.

The music faded away and the people stood still. Some left to go eat and watch from the tables.

"Ahm," he started. He started reciting a poem he wrote about beauty. He overdid the hand gestures and made it sound very dramatic, but it was a good poem.

Many people went up after him and showed off. Some were good, while others were just ridiculous. But that was the fun of it.

Even Cardinal Rowen went up to sing for Victorique. He surprised everyone with how well he sung.

After him, a teenage girl went up. She was the young girl, Ethel, who used to hang out by the shop in Ebel City, criticizing people. Ethel was blushing. "Louis…" she said into the microphone. He was the boy who would always be by Core Lift One, saying he was going to be one of the next Cardinals. "I…"

She stayed silent for a long time.

"Spit it out!" called a faint voice.

"I love you!"

The people cheered for her and her bravery. Louis went up onto the staged and announced that he loved her back. They shared a quick kiss before leaving the stage together with huge grins on their faces.

"I'm tempted to go up there myself," said Linda. "I want to confess to someone."

"Then do it. No one is stopping you."

"I know the person I love doesn't love me back, but it's okay. I'll keep pushing until he finally accepts my love."

Zephyr was worried that it was him she was talking about.

"Hey, what's this?" she questioned. He didn't realize her hand was in his pocket until then. She pulled out the necklace and smiled. "For me? Thank you!"

From the corner of his eye, he saw Leanne standing there with a shocked expression. Her eyes were glistening with tears.

"Oh no…" he whispered.

Leanne quickly left into the sea of people.

Zephyr snatched the necklace out of Linda's hand and ran after her.

"Leanne!" he called. "Wait! This was a misunderstanding!" But the roar of the people's laughter due to the comedic performance on stage kept his voice from reaching her.

He finally found her. In the arms of another guy. They had their arms wrapped around each other as Leanne let out sobs. She didn't notice Zephyr standing there, but the other guy did. He shook his head in disapproval.

Angry and sad, Zephyr stormed out of the village and made his way back to the isolated beach.

When he reached the shore, he started pacing back and forth screaming, "_Why me? Why must I love someone who will never love me back? Why can't Leanne see how much I'm in love with her? Why?_"

Without thinking straight, he tossed the necklace into the water with a yell. Tears streamed down his face.

* * *

Leanne pulled away from her friend John when he said, "Zephyr just left. I think he thinks we're a couple. You better go follow him."

"What? I thought he knew you were…"

John shook his head and Leanne's eyes widened.

"It was probably a misunderstanding," started John. "I'm sure that's why he followed you."

"Oh no…I have to go find him, then!"

Leanne ran off to the only place she knew Zephyr would go when angry. She hid behind a tree when she saw Zephyr pacing back and forth, screaming how much he loved her and how he wished she knew it.

Tears rolled down Leanne's cheeks. _He does love me,_ she thought with a small smile. _And I love him…_

All her thoughts stopped when she watched him throw the necklace into the water with a yell.

_That necklace was meant for me…wasn't it?_

After Zephyr stomped off, Leanne rushed to the water. As she got closer to the shore, she kicked off her shoes.

Remembering where he threw it, she swam in that direction. But she wasn't the best swimmer. She tried her best to stay afloat as the soft waves slapped her in the face.

She finally decided to dive; she looked around the ocean floor, thankfully lit by the bright moon.

Leanne grabbed the necklace and wrapped it around her hand. Needing to breath, she swam back up to the surface. When she got there, she noticed she was farther from the shore than she thought she would be.

She closed her eyes tightly when she felt the salt burning them. The waves were getting larger, and she was being pulled farther out to sea each passing moment.

"Help!" she tried to say, but the waves pulled her back into the water.

She struggled to breath, but she kept being pulled down.

* * *

"Hey, where's Leanne?" asked John when he saw Zephyr come back alone.

"I thought she was with you," he spat.

"Zephyr, I'm gay."

He stopped for a moment to take that in. "You're _what_?"

"Leanne left to go find you."

He turned pale. "She did?"

"Yeah, you didn't see her?"

Zephyr thought back to the necklace he threw into the water. "Oh shit," he said before sprinting off.

When he reached the shore, he called out her name. From a distance, he saw a hand reaching out from the water and then disappearing underneath it.

"Leanne!" he yelled as he quickly took his shoes off and swam in her direction.

Luckily, Zephyr knew how to swim well. Zephyr dove into the water and grabbed Leanne who was sinking to the ocean floor. She was still conscious, but barely.

He swam back to shore while keeping Leanne's head above the water.

"Z-Zephyr…" she stuttered.

_She must be freezing,_ he thought.

When his feet were able to touch the bottom, he carried her the rest of the way. Zephyr gently set her down on the soft sand and collapsed beside her.

They panted heavily for a while until Leanne said, "You…You came…"

"Of course I did…"

"I'm sorry…"

"You have nothing to be sorry about."

"I ran off and almost got myself killed."

"That was my fault. I should be the one apologizing."

Leanne lifted her hand up to look at the necklace still wrapped around her hand. "It's beautiful…" she whispered.

"Yeah, but it's not something to get killed over. I would have died myself if you did."

"There they are!" came Vashyron's voice.

Zephyr craned his head to see him coming down the hill with John, Lex, Juris, and a few of the Cardinals on his tail.

"Zephyr…" started Leanne before the others would be in earshot. "I love you."

"What the hell, you two?" questioned Vashyron as they approached them. They sat up.

Zephyr explained what happened and was sent home, along with Leanne, to get some rest.

As Zephyr was lying on his own bed, he heard the festival outside ending. He kept replaying Leanne's words over and over in his head. He smiled to himself and fell asleep in an instant.

* * *

Leanne woke up to her hair and cloths smelling like salt water. Once she got home, she collapsed on her bed without even bothering to shower or change, but she did wear the necklace that sat perfectly on her collarbone.

She took care of her hygiene and dressed in her usual shirt and skirt. She wanted to go see Zephyr, but she was too shy to. She sat on her couch and read a romance book while blushing.

Zephyr slept until noon. He cursed to himself and got ready to go out.

After finishing her novel, Leanne set the book down and thought, _He's not coming, is he?_ She touched the pendant and sighed.

There was a loud knock on her door.

Her heart beat faster with each step she took. _Is it Zephyr?_ She wondered.

Leanne slowly opened the door to find him panting. She couldn't help but notice that his hair looked a bit wet.

"I'm sorry," he said through pants. "But I just got up, and I needed a shower, so I ran here after."

"It's okay."

Leanne opened the door wider and stepped to the side saying, "Come in." Zephyr did so.

When Leanne closed the door, she turned around to find Zephyr by the couch, looking at the romance book she just finished reading. She blushed deeply.

She snatched the book away from him and said, "I-I just finished reading it…"

"Oh? Was it good?"

Leanne nodded her head slowly while looking at the ground. She was four years older than him, yet she seemed a lot younger.

Zephyr chuckled. "You're so cute," he said, which made Leanne blush even more.

He stepped closer to her, and she took a step back. They did this for a while until Leanne's back hit the wall.

Zephyr's hands reached up to touch the heart on her necklace. He leaned in close to her ear and whispered, "It looks beautiful on you."

His hand that was still hanging reached up to touch her cheek. "Say it again," he whispered.

"Wh-what?"

"What you said last night."

Leanne gulped. She's never been this close to Zephyr before, let alone any other man. "I-I…" she started, but because of the close contact, she couldn't get it out.

"Please," begged Zephyr.

"I…I love you, Zephyr."

"Leanne, I love you more than anything. I loved you even when we were living back at Sweet Home. I realized it when we were doing that mission for Jean-Paulet, where we had to pretend that we were getting married."

He heard a soft chuckle come from her. "I remember that day very well. You looked so handsome…"

"And you looked so beautiful in that wedding dress…If only Vashyron hadn't interrupted, then maybe…"

"Maybe what?"

"Maybe we could have kissed that day…"

They stayed silent for a while.

"Leanne," started Zephyr, "I didn't kiss Linda, or anyone girl for that matter."

"You didn't?"

"No…"

"I…I'm sorry for not listening when you were trying to tell me…I guess I just couldn't accept that."

Zephyr placed the hand that was on her pendant to her other cheek. He gently tilted her head up so that their eyes locked.

"Shall we finish what we started that day, without Vashyron interrupting?" asked Zephyr.

Leanne closed her eyes as her response, and Zephyr slowly closed his as he gently touched his lips with hers. They felt soft against his, and he wanted more, as did Leanne.

With each passing moment, their kisses started getting deeper and more intimate with each passing moment. They both let out their wanting for each other in that kiss.

Zephyr's tongue touched Leanne's bottom lip, pleading for entrance. She slightly opened her mouth to let his warm tongue slide in. She was unsure of what to do at first, but she eventually got the hang of it.

After some time, Zephyr strayed from Leanne's mouth to her neck. Kissing and sucking on it gently. He enjoyed hearing Leanne's soft moans as he did so.

He whispered into her ear, "I want you, Leanne…I want all of you…"

"Zephyr…I-I won't know what to do…"

He kissed her lips softly and said, "It's alright, I'm a beginner too. We'll learn together."

Leanne nodded her head and smiled.

Zephyr picked her up and carried her to the bed.

* * *

Leanne woke up to see Zephyr staring at her.

"Good-morning," he said with a smile.

"Morning…" she groaned. "I must look like crap."

"No…well…"

Leanne hit him in the gut.

"I was kidding," he tried to say.

"Mommy, mommy!" cried a little girl as she came running in to see her parent with her twin brother behind her. "Uncle Vashyron is here!"

"What?" questioned Zephyr as he sat up and looked over at the children no more than six years old. Both had their mother's gorgeous violet eyes, and they had light brown hair.

The two adults got out of bed and shooed the kids away so that they could change.

"Sera, Tay, go invite uncle Vashyron in."

"Okay!" they chirped as they raced to the door.

"I'm questioning why Vashyron is here so early," started Leanne as she slipped into her skirt.

"Babe, look at the time."

When she looked over at the digital clock, it read eleven a.m.

Leanne sighed and said, "We did it again. If only you weren't so energetic at night…"

Zephyr blushed deeply. "I-It's not my fault that you're so damn cute!" His gaze settled on her necklace he gave her which was still sitting on her collar.

When they finished getting ready, they went to the living room to find their kids playing with eight year old Aidon and five year old Christie on the ground, and the adults sitting on the couch.

"Well, good-morning!" exclaimed Vashyron as he stood up. "Have a good sleep?" he winked.

"Y-Yeah!" stammered Leanne.

"I brought some lunch," announced Rachael as she pointed at the large glass pan covered with tin foil on her lap.

"Oh! Thank you!" replied Leanne as she showed Rachael to the kitchen, followed by the four kids.

"You two must have been seriously at it last night," said Vashyron with a smirk.

"Shut up," muttered Zephyr with a blush.

Then all of a sudden, Leanne was running to the bathroom. All that was heard was loud belching.

Zephyr was the first to come asking if she was alright.

"What's the date today?" she asked weakly.

"Today is the twenty-fourth dear, why?" asked Rachael.

"I'm very late…"

"What's wrong with mommy?" asked Tay worriedly to no one in particular.

"It's alright. You four just go back into the kitchen and wait there, okay?" said Vashyron. The children obeyed.

When they were out of earshot, Leanne flushed the toilet and then cleaned here face. When she opened the door, she had three pairs of expecting eyes on her.

"I think I'm pregnant again…" she said quietly with a soft smile.

* * *

**I hope you liked it :) Review please! Bl00dyshad0w**

**Rinascita = Ribirth in Italian**


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